IND vs ZIM: Former selector Saba Karim questions decision to remove Shikhar Dhawan as captain, says ‘KL Rahul should have played series as player only, not captain’

IND vs ZIM: Shikhar Dhawan vs KL Rahul: After KL Rahul proved his fitness, the BCCI selectors were quick to remove Shikhar Dhawan as captain for the India vs Zimbabwe series. They appointed KL Rahul as India skipper, but it has not gone well with former selector Saba Karim. He felt Dhawan deserved to retain that role after delivering in limited overs cricket as captain. Follow India tour of Zimbabwe live updates with InsideSport.IN

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It is important to note Shikhar has been leading the time most of the times when the seniors are absent from the squad. He led the Indian team to victory in the West Indies under Shikhar as well.

IND vs ZIM: Former selector Saba Karim questions decision to remove Shikhar Dhawan as captain, says ‘KL Rahul should have played series as player only, not captain’

“KL Rahul should have played the series only as a member, making him captain or vice-captain is not that important. He is coming after a long break. Shikhar Dhawan is a senior member of the squad who has delivered in white-ball cricket. You have to give him importance once you make the announcement as captain,” Hindustan Times quoted Saba Karim as speaking to India News Sport.

If one looks at the last series in West Indies, Shikhar was always seen encouraging the youngsters, who in turn gave it their all. He led from the front, scoring big runs as well. But, it remains to be seen if the player will be able to replicate his scores of the last three ODIs. He amassed 97, 13 and 58 runs respectively.

The southpaw is no longer a Test or T20 player for India. He is only looked upon as a ODI player only at present. Karim believes the decision to give the captaincy to someone else needs to be handled cautiously as it can have an impact on the players’ morale.

IND vs ZIM: Former selector Saba Karim questions decision to remove Shikhar Dhawan as captain, says ‘KL Rahul should have played series as player only, not captain’

“The kind of change in captaincy trend is strange and questionable. Such decisions need to be taken very cautiously. There is no need to rush as it is associated with a team environment, you need to build the team spirit. A captain begins to think about his plans for upcoming matches and then you suddenly make a change. It affects the morale of the cricketer,” Karim added.

KL Rahul back to practice #KLRahul pic.twitter.com/4loTRQ3HaD

— Sudarshan Gowda (@imsudarshan85) July 16, 2022

Pressure on KL Rahul too: In fact, the last moment change came in as a huge surprise. Rahul will be leading the team in Zimbabwe, and making his return to international cricket after four to five months. The player has not played any cricket since IPL 2022. He has undergone sports hernia surgery and also contracted Covid-19 recently.

More importantly, Rahul does not have a great record as ODI captain. India lost the last three matches he captained against South Africa earlier in the year.

With the T20 World Cup and the Asia Cup round the corner, KL Rahul will be under pressure to deliver and shine in Zimbabwe. Will the captaincy prove to be a burden for the Karnataka batter?